This invention relates to bandages and more particularly relates to a pneumatic eye bandage which can be used to protect the eye of the user from external mechanical trauma and infection, prevent movement of the eyelid, collect discharges from the eye, or decrease the amount of light entering the eye.
Ophthalmic patches or eye bandages are commonly used to protect the eye of a patient from external infection, from external mechanical trauma, from bright light, from perceiving images which might induce unwanted eye movement, to collect discharge from the conjunctiva, and the like.
It is common practice in the medical profession to form eye bandages for most of such cases by applying an absorbent cotton or rayon pad with gauze surfaces over the eyelid of the patient with separate pieces of adhesive tape attached to the forehead and cheek. A perforated metal shield is often applied over the absorbent pad to exert desired pressure against the eye and the eyelid. These presently known bandages fail to conform well to the irregular shape and surface of the eyelid, orbital margin, and face and thus fail to provide adequate protection for these very sensitive areas. Since the absorbent pad does not adhere to the eyelids, these presently known bandages can result in scratching of the cornea. Furthermore, these bandages are usually constructed of heavy materials which result in discomfort to the user. The application of these bandages to the eye of the user is time consuming because of the multiplicity of parts and the difficulty inherent in achieving a uniform pressure on the eyelid and the eye of the user due to the irregular depth and face plane shape of the orbit of the user. Inadequate protection against external mechanical trauma and the frequent need to supplement the bandage with a metal shield which is neither inexpensive nor disposable are additional difficulties with the present known eye bandages. Additionally, these eye bandages are difficult even for trained persons to fashion into a semi-pressure patch. These semi-pressure patches as previously made often result in inadequate and nonuniform pressure which delays recovery of the patient and usually results in a waste of eye pads and tape in attempting to create a satisfactory eye bandage. Also, the formation and application of these previous semi-pressure patches has required the time of more highly trained and expensive personnel. The current eye bandages require the preparation and handling of from three to as many as ten individual pieces of absorbent pad and tape.
The present invention provides improved results over the presently known eye bandages through the provision of pneumatic cells of various configurations contained between an absorbent eye pad and a unitary, flexible outer cover panel having adhesive coated areas. Adhesive may be applied to the eye pad or pneumatic cells if it is desired to prevent movement of the eyelid relative to the bandage.
Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved eye bandage.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an eye bandage having an eye pad which provides improved conformation to the eye of the user.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved eye bandage for protecting the eye of the user from external mechanical trauma without requiring the incorporation of a metal shield.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an eye bandage which applies uniform pressure on the upper eyelid of the user when a semi-pressure patch is desired.
A still further object of the present invention is to decrease the quantities of materials which are required in the construction of an eye bandage, which decreases the length of time required to correctly apply the eye bandage, and which decreases the level of training required to properly apply eye bandages.
The objects of this invention are achieved through the provision of an outer cover panel having an adhesive portion at each end and a centrally positioned pneumatic cushion which may optionally be provided with an attached absorbent eye pad, if desired, and which effectively covers the eyelid of the user. The pneumatic cushion may be composed of multiple cells or a single cell and may be of various conforming configurations and levels of rigidity to accomplish the various clinical uses to which the subject invention is applicable. For example, a preferred embodiment has an upper cell which is contoured to conform to the upper eyelid of the user and a lower cell contoured to conform to the lower eyelid. Other embodiments include multiple cells which are interconnected by air passageways and multiple cells which are independent. Additional embodiments include cells which are symmetrical in shape such as semi-spherical or cup shape and cells which are asymmetrical to achieve desired pressure distributions. Additionally, adhesive may be applied instead of an absorbent eye pad or in addition to a portion of the eye pad to control or prevent movement of the eyelids of the user.